Dust Collector for Duct Cleaning?

Hello all,

I'm trying to convince SWMBO that the money we would otherwise spend on a "professional" duct cleaning service would be better spent on a nice dust collection system for my shop. I could then use said DC to periodically clean our forced air heating ducts. My house is a small single store ranch with full basement, so all ductwork is fairly accessible.

Has anyone out there tried this (the duct cleaning, not the convincing) and, if so, was it as effective as a "professional" job?

Or am I just BSing SWMBO?

TIA

Sid

Reply to
Sidney
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Does not matter as long as she buys it. Do you really have to clean the ducts anyway?

A DC does not have the velocity of a vacuum cleaner, but the ducts won't really be dirty anyway.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

We had a fellow come do our ducts a few years ago, there was a scary amount of stuff in there after a whole lot of years.. It was quite inexpensive, soemthing like $6.00 a duct. We paid him some extra because we felt he didn't earn enough for the trouble.

Alan

Reply to
arw01

When we had our ducts done 5 years ago they conencted their big honking DC (truck mounted, 6" hose) and then blew the ducts and vent one by one with compressed air.

We're in a similar house to you, and I'm seriously considering doing it myself like you are suggesting. It won't be that difficult.

djb

Reply to
Dave Balderstone

The typical shop dust collector probably does not have sufficient airflow through the size of household ducting to do a decent job.

If you can use a duct brush to loosen any accumulated debris your duct collector might pull it out.

Reply to
marks542004

Heh! Technically, you're not BSing SWMBO. However, the fact that you're not absolutely sure and have asked here means that in your mind, at the time you mentioned it, you are guilty of BSing SWMBO. :)

Reply to
Upscale

Dunno about that. I just took off an access panel and found a good 1/2"+ of accumulated stuff in there. I'm thinking of getting ours done. Maybe evict a couple zillion mites, for instance.

Bill

Reply to
Obfuscated

Well you make believe that it will work the same but chances are the fan on you house system moves more air than your collector will. The pros usually use a tool to clean/knock the dirt off of the inside surfaces while they blow air through the system.

Reply to
Leon

Use a brush like a big baby bottle brush on a long snake on all your ducts starting at the room end. . . .. Then hook your dc to "ONE" of the connections on the plenum. Then put a balloon in the room end of all youe vents but one. Kick on the DC & it's done . . . Then plug that vent with a ballon and unplug another, then kick on the DC . . . Keep moving and this way you only connect the DC on time . . . . We use to do commercial building this way . . . . PS, be sure to tie string on ballons are the DC will suck them up. Buy the biggest trickest ballons you can find so they will not be too thin when in inside room end of duct . . .

Reply to
Steve DeMars

You're BSing. You can use a regular vacuum cleaner with an extension to clean your ducts. I clean my ducts once a year by removing the registers and snaking down the vacuum cleaner extension. I don't get it all, just the first 10 feet or so.

You still need a DC for your sh>Hello all,

Reply to
Phisherman

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